News
Everyone is equal, archbishop tells disabilities community at Mass
Archbishop Charles Chaput thanked the persons with disabilities, their families and caregivers, and the deaf community for thinking and acting differently than the world does, at the annual Mass with them.
Vatican statistics show modest, steady church growth worldwide
The number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests and permanent deacons rose slightly in 2013, while the number of men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics.
Canadian court rules Jesuit school can teach from Catholic perspective
In a 7-0 decision, the court ruled March 19 that Loyola High School can favor Catholicism in teaching the course, which is required by the Quebec Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports.
St. John Paul’s faith in young people ‘beautiful,’ says college student
The moment before he helped carry a small vial of St. John Paul II's blood, Justin Waldron, 22, gently touched the relic in a moment of silent prayer.
No ifs, ands or buts: Christians must live Christ’s way, pope says
Don't be "halfway Christians," who accept Christ, but then start looking for excuses and stammering, "yes, but ..." when it is time to follow his way, Pope Francis said at a morning Mass.
Papal aide organizes special Sistine Chapel tour for homeless people
The papal almoner, an archbishop who distributes charitable aid from Pope Francis, planned a special afternoon for about 150 homeless people: a walk through the Vatican Gardens, a visit to the Vatican Museums, private time in the Sistine Chapel and dinner in the museums' cafeteria.
Synod in Nagasaki, Japan, offers recommendations to church in ‘crisis’
Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, Japan, said Catholics in the archdiocese recognize "with grief, remorse and a deep sense of crisis" that the church is experiencing a slow contraction and a precipitous decline in membership.
Haitian minister hopes to reduce cholera spike before rainy season
The surge in December and January, a normally dry time in Haiti, has since subsided, but Dr. Florence Duperval Guillaume, minister of public health and population, expressed concern about future outbreaks and is working with an international task force to prevent their return.
Today’s teaching on the family
See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”
South Carolina considers pain-capable abortion bill to protect unborn
The measure -- which passed the South Carolina House with a vote of 80-27 and has exceptions to protect the life and health of the mother -- would require that any physician in the state to determine the gestational age of the unborn child post-conception and prohibit any abortion if the determined age was older than 19 weeks. The current ban on abortion in South Carolina is 24 weeks after conception, unless the mother's life is in danger.